Category: Blog Entry

The Bishop of London has signed the ‘golden pledge’ to abandon all flying for a year.  And I think I read elsewhere that he uses public transport exclusively as he goes about his work in London.  Which is fine if you live in the middle of London but not fine if you live in rural Perthshire.  But it seems to me that some of this comes down to issues which people don’t mention very much.  You can park a car at the airport for days or weeks.  But Perth Station doesn’t look like a particularly safe place to leave a car overnight – although they did tell me that one prisoner left his car there while he served a two year sentence and it was there when he came back for it.  Nor does the Broxden Park and Ride look particularly safe for overnight parking – although it is good to be able to pick up a coach there without having to go into the centre of Perth.  But, given the difficulties of providing public transport for a relatively small population living in a big land area, I think that public transport in Scotland is pretty good.  And we’re gradually trying to use the train more for heading south – when you add up the total city centre to city centre time, it takes very little longer than the plane.

Thought for the Day this morning – BBC Radio Scotland
TFTD 12.2.07.doc

I spent this morning with the congregation at the Chapel at RAF Leuchars.  Children everywhere.  It was great.

So I came home and plunged into ‘Rural Children, Rural Church’.  Before I had left the introduction, I had fallen over this passage:

‘The real battle for children being part of the church, however, is not about finding workers to lead children’s groups or establishing more accessible worship.  It is about changing the hearts and minds of long-term Christians who wish to maintain the present traditions to the point that they lose sight of the Church’s mission among the youngest and most vulnerable generation.’

Poor Poppy.  Bad enough that she should be confined to the Born Free Enclosure following the recent dog fox episode.  Yesterday she had the long-delayed visit to the vet to have her teeth cleaned.  This involved a general anaesthetic for Poppy and a short but intense programme of counselling for Alison.  The vet – why do they all seem to be 14 years old – began with the comforting opener, ‘You know this involves an element of risk?’

Anyway, she arrived home in a fairly cross-eyed state but with her Colgate ring of confidence shining bright.  And by this evening, she was well enough to sit and watch the Shamwari programme.

The SEC is having a Year of Stewardship.  In line with our rather non-prescriptive ethos, we are not quite sure when it begins or when it will end – or indeed whether it will last a year.  Otherwise everything is crystal clear.

Meanwhile, when I met tonight with the group which is organising our clearly-defined, tightly-organised and non-prescriptive diocesan response to this, I realised that this is one of those points at which one experiences cultural difference – like my hair cut in Cape Town in September.  Stewardship programmes live in that fascinating place where spiritual commitment takes financial giving form – and thanksgiving turns into giving.  And when you challenge people about either or both, things get interesting.

I carry the scars – and the encouragement – of having done this several times in the parish.  As always in Northern Ireland, things were never quite what they seemed.  No problem encouraging people to have a set of church envelopes.  The problem was that they were perceived by some as a token of membership which would ensure burial – if not subsequent resurrection.  But not – for the most part – for putting money in.

Well, rather to my surprise – yes. And more than I have had time to do for a long time. I’m deep into George Lovell’s remarkable [but weighty] Consultancy, Ministry and Mission. He seems to me to have sorted out the challenge of finding the balances .. between leadership, collaboration and authority. He talks about the need for ‘Collaborative reflective practitioners, churches and communities’ I’ve just sent for Rural Children, Rural Church which suggests that one in five of the rural population is a child – and that many of them are socially isolated. And for a little light reading, I’ve been pointed towards ‘The Blogging Church’ – which may help me to become deeply purposeful about this exercise rather than just using it for my personal therapy.

What a good idea .. just join a small local choir .. sing Messiah .. meet some new people.   But why did Handel write such high notes.  More the tenor’s truss, I fear.  But lovely people anyway.

This place as always is a veritable safari park.  I had to pause for a deer in the middle of the road on my way to Dunkeld on Sunday evening.  And we saw what we suspect was a dog fox strolling through the field beyond our garden this morning while the builder and I were having an intimate discussion about the inner workings of the Bogstead Episcopi septic tank.  It was really impressively big – the fox, that is, not the septic tank – at least the size of an Alsatian or maybe an elephant or maybe….  Poppy was immediately confined to barracks and may only be let out under armed guard.  It’s as well we’ve been to Shamwari and know about these things.

BBC Radio Scotland this morning about Tony Blair and integrity.  Always amused me that, when Mr Blair was spoken of in Portadown, the local accent turned him into Mr Blur.
TFTD 5.2.07.doc

I took part this evening in a session called ‘Acts of God’ run by the churches in Dunkeld as part of an exploration of what they call ‘the curious nature of God’  I was supposed to talk about healing and reconciliation – which means that I talked about what I always talk about.  And this time the Powerpoint did work.  As always at this kind of event, there are interesting people around and you never quite know who you are talking to – and there are almost always people who served in the army in Northern Ireland and who have an intimate knowledge of the ditches of South Armagh.  Reactions also included a vehement condemnation of education provision divided on religious grounds.  No – I can’t see why it is necessary either.

Beautiful day today – but cold.  We took the first walk for ages along the bank of the Tay.  No sign of the salmon fishing even tho’ the start of the season was delayed until the beginning of February.  You can see where the level of the river reached at its height – most of seven feet above where it is today – and the river is still flowing faster than you could walk.  Snowdrops everywhere.  There has been a lot of clearing going on in the woods around us – out of the middle of the woods leaving the trees around the edges standing.  Meanwhile, the deer have apparently eaten the green shoots of our new hedge.  And I had to get the AA to stir up +Bruce and Elaine’s horses which couldn’t be got to move at all.  They are now eagerly trotting and prancing around ready for their return when summer comes.